New Book: Pumpkin Skulls and Other Silly Things

Carve a pumpkin skull Follow along with clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations and photographs, learn how to make a realistic human skull out of a pear-shaped pumpkin, and display it proudly to ward off squeamish visitors. You can stop there if you want, but if you find you’re interested in really going down the 3-D pumpkin-carving rabbit hole, it’s still a really good idea to develop your pumpkin skull-carving abilities: using a medium where the stakes are low, you’re practicing a foundational skill for portraiture or caricature or monstercraft or mask-making. Because there’s a skull underneath (almost) every kind of face, and that skull is going to inform all the stuff on top of it-the muscle, fat, skin, scales, whiskers, horns, warts and all.

Then go beyond the skull and get some tips on how to turn any ordinary pumpkin into a realistic (or surrealistic) masterpiece, whether you’re trying to win a pumpkin-carving contest or just bringing some gruesome joke to life on your front porch. If you can get your hands on the right tools and a great pumpkin, this book just might help you execute an idea that’s sufficiently weird to justify squandering your valuable time on something that’s destined to become mush. But first it just might make someone smile. Or vomit. And that, dear reader, is a truly noble cause.

Here's what a few nice people said about the book: “A great introduction to 3D pumpkin sculpting! Mike’s detailed step-by-step instructions will have you sculpting the coolest and creepiest pumpkins in no time!” - Mike Brown, Master Pumpkin Carver, Halloween Wars champion, season 7mbcreativestudio.com@michael_brown04

“Mike is the Willie Nelson of pumpkin sculpting! This is a great book for those looking to start 3D pumpkin sculpting. It’s easy to understand, covering everything from tools and design to pumpkin selection - which is more important than you might think! The step-by-step illustrations are a great help! Everything you need to start in one book!” - Jen Grimes, The Pumpkin Fiend of Scotlandfacebook.com/ThePumpkinFiendofScotland

“A great read for every level of sculptor from beginner to master!” - Tator Edwards, Pumpkin Whisperer, Halloween Wars veteranfacebook.com/tator.nation.96

“Mike Craghead takes the mystery out of how to carve realistic faces and figures in pumpkins with his fun and easy-to-follow instructions. Good for the beginner as well as the intermediate carver, take your Halloween to the next level!” - Tom Lindskog, Master Pumpkin Carver and competitor on Food Network’s Halloween Warsfacebook.com/tom.lindskog.3